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Chris Barton

HM Trade Commissioner, Europe

Chris Barton CMG is His Majesty's Trade Commissioner for Europe, a role he assumed in August 2021.12 He leads a team of over 300 staff across 34 countries in Europe, working to enhance trade and investment relationships between the UK and other European nations.1

Prior to his current position, Barton had an extensive career in UK government trade roles:

  • Director for Trade Policy and Export Control (2013-2016)
  • Director for Multilateral and EU Trade Negotiations (2016-2019)
  • Director for Bilateral Trade Relations (2019-2020)
  • Director for UK-EU Goods Negotiations (2020-2021)
  • Acting Director General for Trade Negotiations (February-June 2021)1

Barton was awarded a CMG (Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 for his services to trade, diversity, and inclusion.1

Before his trade-focused career, Barton worked as a secondary school teacher for 5 years (1993-1998) and spent 15 years (1998-2013) in various Civil Service roles, covering areas such as telecoms, competition policy, company law, employment law, renewable energy, and energy security.1

As HM Trade Commissioner for Europe, Barton's responsibilities include:

  • Improving market access for UK companies in Europe
  • Attracting European investment to the UK
  • Encouraging UK exports to Europe
  • Influencing multilateral trade policy with Europe1

Chris Barton is married and has three children.1

Related Questions

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Chris Barton
Chris Barton, photo 1
Chris Barton, photo 2
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Location

London, England, United Kingdom